Biodegradable insulative shipping container

ABSTRACT

A shipping container, particularly suited for shipping wine bottles within a shipping box, having a pair of container halves. Each container half includes an outer tray that is shaped to fit the shipping box, and an inner tray that is configured for securely holding one or more wine bottles. Both the outer tray and inner tray are made of readily recyclable pulp material, and have a void therebetween. A starch based biodegradable insulation material fills the void therebetween, such that the shipping container is made entirely of biodegradable material, yet is sturdy and has insulative properties.

CROSS REFERENCES AND RELATED SUBJECT MATTER

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/044,593 filed Jul. 25, 2018, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/006,814 filed on Jan. 26, 2016, which claims thebenefit of priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/115,237 filedFeb. 12, 2015. The foregoing applications are each incorporated byreference in their entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a shipping container. Moreparticularly, the present disclosure relates to a shipping containerthat is capable of insulating its contents while being made ofrecyclable and biodegradable elements.

BACKGROUND

When certain items are shipped—especially perishable food items—it ishighly desirable to maintain their temperature within a predeterminedrange. Considering the significant variations of temperature that mayoccur during the shipping process, however, this is often difficult todo. Along any shipping route, a package will experience variations intemperature due to time of day as well as geographic locale. Inaddition, certain conveyances—such as airplane cargo areas—may subjectthe package to rather significant temperature extremes.

Other than providing climate-controlled shipping environments, the mostcommon way of reducing temperature variation is to employ insulatedpackaging materials. Among these, the most common is polystyrene basedpackaging—commonly known by the tradename STYROFOAM. Styrofoam isnotoriously bad for the environment, as it cannot be easily recycled,and often ends up in landfills or polluting our oceans. Other insulativematerials used in packaging suffer from a similar shortcoming—they arenot safely biodegradable, recyclable, or sustainable.

Accordingly, in the state of the art of packaging, when selectingmaterials, package designers are forced to trade between desiredinsulating properties and using materials that do not harm theenvironment.

As an example, within the wine industry, often it is desirable to shipsmall quantities directly to consumers—such as for wine club shipments.In such applications, both pulp-based shipping containers and molded EPS(expanded polystyrene) containers are used. The issue with pulp shippingcontainers is that they have no significant insulative properties. EPSon the other hand are not recyclable by consumers.

While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed,or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes ofthe present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.

In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge isreferred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not anadmission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combinationthereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to thepublic, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes priorart under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to berelevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the presentdisclosure is concerned.

While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussedto facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects aredisclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one ormore of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is toprovide a shipping container that is biodegradable and recyclable.Accordingly, the container has both an outer tray and an inner tray madeof pulp.

It is another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosureto provide a shipping container that is capable of providing thermalinsulation to its contents. Accordingly, the shipping container includesa middle layer that includes insulative materials.

It is yet another aspect of an example embodiment in the presentdisclosure to provide a shipping container that employs biodegradableinsulation so that it is fully biodegradable. Accordingly, by an exampleembodiment, starch pellets are employed to provide thermal insulationbetween the pulp-based outer and inner trays.

It is a still further aspect of an example embodiment to provide ashipping container suitable for shipping wine and related beverages.Accordingly, a packaging unit is created that has an inner tray sizedand shaped to hold at least one bottle of wine, while providing athermal insulative R value of 3-5.

It is yet a further aspect of an example embodiment to provide ashipping container that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.Accordingly, the shipping container may be created using a simpleprocess described in further detail hereinbelow.

Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a shipping container,particularly suited for shipping wine bottles within a shipping box,having a pair of container halves. Each container half includes an outertray that is shaped to fit the shipping box, and an inner tray that isconfigured for securely holding one or more wine bottles. Both the outertray and inner tray are made of readily recyclable pulp material, andhave a void therebetween. A starch based biodegradable insulationmaterial fills the void therebetween, such that the shipping containeris made entirely of biodegradable material, yet is sturdy and hasinsulative properties.

The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoingdisadvantages. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosuremay prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in anumber of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarilybe construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems ordeficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above,this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, thatthe drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as beingpart of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals.The drawings are briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic perspective view, providing an outside view ofa shipping container, wherein the shipping container halves are matedtogether to close the container.

FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating one of thehalves of the shipping container. In the example illustrated, thecontainer is configured for securely holding and shipping bottles ofwine.

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view of one of the shipping containerhalves, illustrating a multi-layer construction made in accordance withthe principles of the present disclosure, wherein an insulation tray isplaced between the outer tray and inner tray.

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view, similar to FIG. 2A, illustratingfabrication of one of the container halves using expandable insulationpellets that are introduced into the void between the outer tray andinner tray.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view, illustrating a further embodiment of theshipping container, wherein the inner tray and outer tray are beingassembled.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view, showing the embodiment ofFIG. 3 wherein the inner tray and outer tray are assembled into thecontainer half.

FIG. 5A is a cross sectional view, illustrating the embodiment of FIG.3.

FIG. 5B is a cross sectional view, illustrating the embodiment of FIG.3, in the position shown in FIG. 4, with the insulation not shown forclarity of illustration.

The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, which show various exampleembodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the exampleembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments areprovided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fullyconveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A illustrates a shipping container 10. The shipping containerincludes two shipping container halves 12, each having a mating edge 14.The shipping container 10 is substantially rectangular prism shaped, andare thereby sized and shaped to fit within a shipping box, such as astandard corrugated box. The shipping container halves 12 aresubstantially the same size and shape, and are substantially symmetricalwith respect to the mating edge 14. When the shipping container is in aclosed position, as illustrating, the mating edges 14 of the shippingcontainer halves 12 are aligned and contact each other.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, one of the shipping container halves 12 hasbeen removed, revealing the interior of the shipping container 10. Inparticular each shipping container half 12 includes an outer tray 21 andan inner tray 22. The outer tray 21 is generally black and the innertray 22 is generally white. Note that the outer tray 21 is generallyshaped to conform to the rectangular shipping box in which it is placedduring ordinary usage. The inner tray 22, however, is configured toaccept, securely hold, and cushion the desired contents, namely shippinggoods intended to be transported. Such shipping goods may include (butare not limited to) items such as wine bottles, as well as various foodand medical items. In the example illustrated, wine bottles 40 are theshipping goods that the shipping container 10 is adapted to holdsecurely for shipment. Each wine bottle 40 has a body 42 and a neck 44.

The inner tray 22 is configured with several large cavities 24, eachlarge cavity for holding the body 42 of one of the wine bottles 40. Inaddition a plurality of ribs 26 extend into each cavity to contact thebody 42 of its associated wine bottle 40. By contacting only a portionof the bottle, the ribs 26 aid the insulative performance of thecontainer 10. In addition, the inner tray 22 provides a neck hollow 28for each wine bottle, for accommodating the neck thereof. The inner trayalso has several protruding mating portions 29A and receding matingportions 29B, which protrude and recede from the plane of the matingedge 14, such that the protruding mating portions 29A are receivedwithin the receding mating portions 29B of the other container half 12,and vice versa.

Note that in the example illustrated the inner tray 22 is configured forholding three wine bottles. It should be understood, however, that theinner tray 22 may be easily reconfigured or resized to hold a differentnumber of wine bottles. In addition, the precise layout of the innertray, and its topological features, may be varied while adhering to theprinciples described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, interior construction of the shippingcontainer 10 is illustrated. In particular, generally between the innertray 22 and outer tray 21 is a void 23. Note that the mating edge 14 mayactually be layered—formed of portions of both the inner tray 22 andouter tray 21, such that the mating edge 14 actually becomes a sealingsurface between the inner tray 22 and outer tray 21. In accordance withthe principles of the present disclosure, it is desirable to fill thevoid 23 with a biodegradable, recyclable and sustainable, insulativematerial. Illustrated in FIG. 2A, the void is filled with an insulationtray 51, that is substantially solid and in a single, pre-shaped pieceas fabricated, and shaped to fit the void 23. A suitable material forthe insulation tray 51 is a starch and fiber based material sold underthe tradename PAPERFOAM. To manufacture the shipping container accordingto this embodiment, the insulation tray 51 is placed between the innertray 22 and outer tray 21. In the example illustrated, the three trays21, 51, 22, are then heat-pressed together. Other techniques may beemployed for joining the inner tray 22 and outer tray 21, as will bedescribed further, hereinbelow.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5A, the mating edge 14 includesfour flaps 14A that extend from the inner tray 22 and are configured tofold and extend into the outer tray 21 and secure thereto. Inparticular, the inner tray has a top 22T and a substantially rectangularperipheral edge 22P located along the top 22T. The flaps 14A extendoutwardly from the peripheral edge 22P and are foldable to extenddownwardly therefrom (as shown). In addition, the outer tray 21 has fourside walls 21S that are substantially perpendicular to each other andhave a side wall top 21T. The outer tray 21 also has a bottom panel 21B,the side walls 21S extending upwardly from the bottom panel 21B by asidewall height. The inner tray 22 includes an irregular concave valley24A, the valley is a continuous surface that extends downwardly from theperipheral edge 22P and top 22T to define an interior volume that isadapted to accept shipping goods, and may include the large cavities 24for holding wine bottles or other shipping goods, as described abovewith reference to FIG. 1B. The concave valley 24A only extends below butdoes not protrude above the top 22T. The concave valley 24A includes arecessed channel 25 spanning the longitudinal length of concave valley24A to the neck hollow 28. The recessed channel 25 helps with air flowthrough the inner tray 22 when the shipping container is closed.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, the flaps 14A are configured to fit within theouter tray 21, such that they extend within the side walls 21S towardthe bottom panel 21B. The flaps may be coated with an adhesive such thatas they extend against the side walls 21S they will bond securelythereto, to affect a tight seal between the inner tray 22 and outer tray21. Once insulative material is placed in the void 23 between the innertray 22 and outer tray 21, as described herein, they thereby form thecompleted shipping container half 12, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B.

FIG. 2B shows a further embodiment of the container, wherein the void 23between the inner tray 22 and outer tray 21 is filled with expandablestarch insulation pellets 52. The assembly of the outer tray 21 andinner tray 22 with the starch insulation pellets 52 is then heatedwithin a pressurized oven. As the pellets are heated, they expand tofill up the void 23 between the outer tray 21 and inner tray 22. Onceremoved from the oven, the assembly is then heat pressed to seal theouter tray 21 and inner tray 22 together—trapping the now expandedinsulation pellets 52 therebetween.

It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being“on” another element, it can be directly on the other element orintervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there areno intervening elements present.

Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same,structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.

It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,”“second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements,components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region,layer or section from another element, component, region, layer orsection. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or“section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component,region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross sectionillustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments.As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result,for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustratedherein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, forexample, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated ordescribed as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features.Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, theregions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and theirshapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region andare not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.

In conclusion, herein is presented a biodegradable insulative shippingcontainer. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawingfigures, and throughout the written description. It should be understoodthat numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventiveconcept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a biodegradableinsulative shipping container, the shipping container having twocontainer halves, for each container half, the method comprising thesteps of: providing a substantially rectangular prism shaped outer traycomprising a pulp material, the outer tray having side walls that extendsubstantially perpendicularly to each other and a bottom; providing aninner tray comprising a pulp material, the inner tray having a top, aperipheral edge at the top, the peripheral edge substantiallyrectangular and including four flaps extending outwardly therefrom andbendable to extend downwardly therefrom, and an irregular concave valleyincluding a continuous surface that extends downwardly from theperipheral edge to define an interior volume that is adapted to receiveshipping goods; creating a void between the concave valley and thebottom of the outer tray by aligning the peripheral edge of the innertray with the side walls of the outer tray; filling the void withbiodegradable insulative material by placing a prefabricatedsubstantially solid insulation tray comprising a biodegradableinsulative material in the void between the inner tray and outer tray;and sealing the inner tray to the outer tray by heat pressing the innertray, insulative tray, and outer tray together.
 2. The method ofmanufacturing a biodegradable insulative shipping container as recitedin claim 1, wherein the step of sealing the inner tray to the outer trayfurther comprises: folding the flaps downwardly from the peripheraledge; coating the flaps with adhesive; and extending the flaps withinthe outer tray toward the bottom and against the side walls.
 3. Themethod of manufacturing a biodegradable insulative shipping container asrecited in claim 2, wherein the void formed between the irregularconcave valley and the bottom of the outer tray is such that no portionof the inner tray contacts the bottom of the outer tray.
 4. The methodof manufacturing a biodegradable insulative shipping container asrecited in claim 3, wherein the inner tray further comprises a pluralityof ribs adapted to support a body of the shipping goods.
 5. The methodof manufacturing a biodegradable insulative shipping container asrecited in claim 4, wherein the inner tray further comprises a neckhollow adapted to support a neck of the shipping goods, the plurality ofribs and the neck hollow defining the interior volume adapted to receivethe shipping goods.
 6. The method of manufacturing a biodegradableinsulative shipping container as recited in claim 5, wherein theirregular concave valley includes a continuous recessed channel thatspans the length of the irregular concave valley to the neck hollow.